by Jaime Lewis
The real hatred toward her started a few years prior when her grandfather passed away. She had been a freshman in college. At times, he was her shield from her parents’ verbal abuse. He was the man behind the fortune of the Anderson family of Birmingham, Alabama. Her family was like royalty in the community, and it was all because of her sweet old pop-pop. He was the reason she was even able to go to the college of her choice. Her father expected her to attend an Ivy League School to carry on family traditions and all that shit. When her father had threatened to withhold her college fund, her grandfather stepped in and paid for it all. She was shocked when she received documents pertaining to her grandfather’s will when he passed away. To her surprise, he had already set up an account with enough money to cover the last three years of college, including costs for housing, books, and spending money if she needed it. Whatever was left in the account after she graduated was hers. He hired an attorney who had no ties to the family to handle the account and administer the payouts. That was done to prevent her mother and father from meddling and getting their greedy hands on money that wasn’t rightfully theirs. Not knowing who was in charge had drove them insane. They always tried asking, but she honestly didn’t know either. And quite frankly, she didn’t care. As long as her school bills were paid, it didn’t matter who wrote the check. The week following her graduation was when the real bombshell was dropped on her. Her grandfather had intended her to have a hell of a lot more than just a college education. He left her a trust fund, amounting to fifteen million dollars. A twenty-two-year-old with fifteen million dollars to her name could do a whole lot, however, four years later, she had never spent one penny. She took the money left from her college fund, close to ten thousand dollars, and used that to start her life after college. She tried putting some distance between her and her parents, but they always found a way to meddle in her business.
To this day, she was thankful for her grandfather’s wisdom in showing her the ropes of adult life. She made a nice little profit off the sale of her home in Birmingham, which she used as the down payment on her new condo here on the beach.
She started to make her way down the road her condo was on. She saw the complex come into view, and made the left turn into the parking lot. She found one of her two assigned parking spots and pulled in, then shut the car off. She took a deep breath. She was home. Exhausted, but home, and that thought made her smile.
She decided she would just take in her overnight bag that had her PJs, toiletries, and a change of clothes for tomorrow. The rest of the bags and boxes could wait until tomorrow.
She punched in her security code on the keypad outside the lobby. Once in, she took the elevator to the sixth floor. She had a corner unit on the top floor. When she entered the condo, she looked around, and although it was completely bare, with stark white walls, she loved it and couldn’t help but do a little dance right there in the foyer. It was an open floor plan with a huge island separating the kitchen from the living room. She smiled when she spotted the sliding glass doors. She walked over, pulled the curtains back and slid the door open. She stepped out onto the balcony and felt the cool, damp air as the wind coming off the ocean whipped around. The sky was dark, and the beach was dark, but that didn’t stop her from hearing the waves crash along the shoreline. She closed her eyes and smiled as she took in the relaxing atmosphere. Yes, she had found a home and knew this place was going to be a life-changer for her. Although in the back of her mind, a certain sexy stranger loomed.
Chapter Three
“What in the hell do you mean that she left?” Bentley Anderson asked his wife in a low menacing voice as he poured himself a drink from the full bar in the billiards room of his 9,000-square foot mansion. He didn’t like surprises, and his daughter had duped everyone today. She would pay one way or another for pulling that shit with him. He would’ve thought she knew by now that nobody crosses Bentley Anderson and gets away without consequences.
“Like I told you over the phone this morning, dear. Bailey came here and told me she had sold her house and was moving,” Annette stated as she sat on the sofa, filing her nails and acting as if the whole situation bored her.
“And she didn’t tell you where?” He asked, getting angrier.
“No. How did we not know she had put her house up for sale? We know everyone around town. Someone had to have seen or noticed.”
“That’s an easy answer. She used a realtor from the next town over,” Randy Lamonte replied as he walked into the room. Annette and Bentley both turned toward the doorway and listened. “I’ve got to hand it to your daughter, Bentley. She’s gotten smart over the years. She knew she was being watched. Look what she did with her bank accounts. She moved them to another bank that we had no inside contacts with.”
Bentley smirked and took another drink. “Yeah, but all it took was one call, and some money flashed in front of that Manager’s face, and we were instantly given information.”
“Well, it’s not like she’s moving today. She told me she just sold the house this morning, so she’ll still need to pack everything and close on the sale. That could take weeks,” Annette said and looked at her husband as he sat there scowling as he sipped his expensive Scotch. “You will go over there first thing tomorrow morning and stop this nonsense,” she told Bentley.
Randy shook his head, “She’s already gone, Annette.” He got up from his seat on the couch, walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink.
“What?” Annette asked, sounding surprised that her daughter would do something like that.
Randy took a large sip. Bailey’s little disappearing act hadn’t surprised him. He had a feeling she had been up to something the past few weeks. She hadn’t shown her face at the Country Club. She made constant excuses to blow off community functions she would typically attend. He blamed himself for not paying more attention.
“I went by her house when Bentley called me. It’s empty. The closing was this morning. Right after she left here, she met the realtor at the closing agency, signed the papers, then left town. I found the realtor’s name she used and gave him a call. He told me everything.”
“Did you ask him if he knew where she was heading? Surely, she would’ve said something to him in conversation,” Annette asked in that snippy tone of hers that irritated Randy. If it weren’t for Bailey’s net worth, he’d move on. But knowing she was sitting on a fifteen million trust fund he wasn’t bound to give it up. Plus, there were some bonuses, not if, but when Bailey married him. She just wasn’t aware of the extras he would be entitled to once they said: “I do.”
“He said she mentioned that she was looking forward to being near the beach.”
“Well, that leaves a lot of places she could be,” Bentley said, looking pissed off.
“Don’t worry; I’ll find her, Bentley. In fact, I’ve already got men on it.”
Bentley gave Randy a stern look, but Randy didn’t let it rattle him. He knew how to handle Bentley. Plus, Bentley needed him to get what Bailey didn’t even know she had. “Well, you’d better, or we all are going to be in deep shit. We’ve got obligations we have to adhere to. We need her here.”
“Don’t fret it. My guys say they’ll find her. She has to register her car, and if she’s planning on working, she’ll have to file taxes. She can’t hide forever. Once we get a hit, I’ll take a trip to wherever she may be and convince her it would be in her best interest to come home.”
He would convince her any way he needed to, even if it meant getting physical. She wasn’t going to ruin his future. He already had too much invested to turn around now.
Chapter Four
Three Weeks later
Irish sat by Ace and Alex’s pool, his feet dangling in the cool refreshing water. It was hot and humid, although not as hot as where he and the team had just come from. They had been living in a South American jungle for the past two and a half weeks. The ladies planned a welcome home barbecue for them. Another few weeks and the season would star
t to change, bringing the cooler fall temperatures. He was looking forward to it. He could adapt in any type of weather, but there was just something about the fall temperatures that he loved.
He was deep in thought, thinking about the conversation he’d had with the guys a few weeks ago at Stitch’s cabin. He caved and told them about “Blue,” the blue-eyed goddess he met in the parking lot at Bayside. At first, they teased him, and it was expected, but when they all realized he was serious, they told him that if he truly felt something, he shouldn’t ignore the feeling because, in a blink of an eye, it could all be gone. And that couldn’t be a more accurate statement after seeing Ace, Potter, and Frost all fall in love and then almost losing their women because of assholes in the world.
But unfortunately, “Blue” was going to have to stay on the back burner for just a little while longer. He needed to make a quick trip home to Michigan to see his mom and dad.
During this last deployment, his dad Ollie had a heart attack. Derek had informed him when he had arrived home. Even though doctors said it was a mild heart attack, Irish would feel better if he saw that his dad was indeed doing okay with his own eyes. The doctor said his dad should be just fine with a proper diet and exercise. Irish’s other concern was the farm his family lived on. Over the years, his mom and dad sold off a lot of the livestock. He had a feeling it was getting to be too much for the two of them now that they were getting older. They only kept a few goats around. And that was for the benefit of his young niece Sienna who lived with them.
His thoughts went to Sienna and how she might be dealing with everything going on with his dad. As she was only five years old, she probably didn’t really understand. His parents were her legal guardians after his drug addict sister gave her up at birth to continue her life with her drug dealer boyfriend. Neither Irish nor his parents had seen or spoken to his sister, Maggie, since that day.
Damn, he hated being so far away from his parents and niece. He hadn’t seen them since Sienna’s birthday last October. That little girl was a spitfire, but so adorable, and she knew it too. She had him wrapped around her little finger and was one of the few females who held a place in his heart.
He had plenty of leave accrued, so his Commander told him to take a couple of days to go and spend some time with them. He was actually looking forward to it.
He felt the cool pool water hit his face and then heard a giggle. He wiped the water from his face and grinned as Alex swam over and held onto the ledge next to him.
“You looked so deep in thought; I thought you needed a distraction. Want to talk about what has you acting like a hermit and ignoring your friends? This is supposed to be a fun party, you know.” She gave his leg a nudge with her elbow and smiled up at him.
He was silent for a moment as he sat there staring at her. Alex was a beautiful woman and smart as hell. Ace was a lucky son of a bitch to land her. Irish wanted someone like her. Someone beautiful on the inside and out. Someone who could like him for him and not just the SEAL. His mind went back to “Blue,” and he wondered if she could be that someone?
Alex’s voice broke his train of thought. “Are you thinking about your mystery girl, “Blue?”
Christ, he regretted telling Alex about “Blue.” He didn’t know the woman’s name who had consumed his thoughts for the last couple of weeks. But every time he thought about her, all he saw were those glacier blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds. So, until he found her, he and apparently everyone else referred to her as “Blue.”
His lips twitched, and he took a slug of his beer. “Maybe,” he replied, and she smiled.
“Well, now that you’re back, you can look for her. You said she mentioned she just moved here, right?”
“Yeah, but I’m going home to Michigan for a few days. I don’t know if your dad or Ace told you, but my dad had a heart attack while we were deployed. I just want to go home and make sure everything is good with them.”
She covered his hand and squeezed it. “No, neither one said anything. I’m so sorry. Please let us know if there is anything we can do.” He smiled at her. She was like a mother hen to all the guys, and they all loved her. She took care of them, even though Potter and Frost had their own women now.
“I will. Thanks, honey.”
Chapter Five
Irish turned off the main road in town and onto the long dirt road that led to his parent’s farm. With the windows down, the fresh Michigan air infiltrated the car. The radio station was set on country music. He wasn’t a huge fan of country, but he was coming around to it more. Mainly because when Alex or Tenley were around, that was all they played. The closer to the farm he got, the more anxious he got. He had to admit he was missing his mom, dad, and Sienna.
He pulled up and parked in front of the old white farmhouse with a wrap-around porch. Noticing some of the paint chipping on the outside, he made a note to re-paint it while he was here. He got out of the car and spotted his mom pushing Sienna on the tire swing that hung from the huge oak tree in the front yard. He smiled, remembering how his mom used to push him on the same tire swing when he was a kid. She was looking over at him, and when she realized who he was, she started running over to him with a big smile on her face, and he was thrilled he was able to surprise her. He had called his dad when he landed to give him the heads up.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake! Ky! What are you doing here?” He embraced her and took a deep breath and exhaled. Just the feeling of being able to hug his mom sent some warmth through his body. He gave her an extra squeeze, just because he could.
“Hi, Mom. I’ve missed you.” He kissed her cheek.
“We’ve missed you too. Your commander said you were out of reach when I called last week about your dad.”
“I was, but we got back two days ago. The commander explained everything, but I wanted to come and see for myself that dad was okay and make sure you guys are good and don’t need anything.”
“Oh, sweetie. You didn’t have to. I know how valuable free time is for you.” She smiled and winked as she hugged his arm. “But I’m glad you’re here.”
“Uncle Ky!” He turned at the sound of the little voice and saw his niece, Sienna running across the front yard. Her little blonde pigtails bouncing up and down, and those blue eyes of hers were twinkling. She was wearing a pair of short jean overalls. He bent down and scooped her up in his arms and twirled her around as she giggled. He took notice of how much she’d grown since he last saw her. Damn, he had missed a lot in a year.
He kissed her on the cheek. “And how is my favorite little niece doing?” He asked as they started walking towards the house.
She gave him her little devilish smile and hugged his neck. “I missed you, Uncle Ky.” And damn if his heart didn’t go pitter-patter at those words.
“I missed you too, peanut. But now that I am here, we can spend some time together, okay?”
“Okay. We can play Barbies and Army men.”
Irish looked at his mom for some help. He was all about spending some quality time with Sienna, but damn if he wanted to spend it playing with dolls. But his mom didn’t come to his rescue; she just chuckled and shrugged her shoulders, like, “what do you want me to do about it?”
He walked into the house and set Sienna down. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll play Barbies with you, but we have to say the men are Navy.”
“Huh?” She asked, giving him an odd look, and he had to laugh as he tried to explain the difference between Army and Navy, but defining something like that to a five-year-old was like talking to them in a foreign language. His mom finally decided to step in and distract Sienna with some milk and cookies.
Later that evening, Irish threw on some lounge pants and a t-shirt after getting out of the shower. His thoughts were on his parents. They seemed closed off earlier when he was talking to them. He sensed there was something they weren’t telling him. He knew they were still up because the lights were still on downstairs in the kitchen. He had spent about two hours talkin
g with his dad earlier before dinner. He seemed like he was doing well, but Irish could see the exhaustion overtaking him. His dad was in good shape for his age from all the work he does around the farm, but his eating habits weren’t so good. Eating a healthy diet was going to be a huge adjustment for him. His dad lived for bacon and eggs, and steak and potatoes every day. That didn’t account for all the snacks he consumed during the day.
As he started down the stairs, he heard the two of them talking, and the words he heard come from his dad had him pausing on the stairs to listen. Sure, his parents raised him better not to eavesdrop on someone’s conversation, but he was curious.
“I just don’t see any other alternative, Natasha. I know it’s a hard decision, but what other choices do we have,” his dad said, and Irish could hear the stress in his dad’s voice.
His mom mumbled something; then he heard her sniffle like she was crying. Not wanting to waste any more time listening and trying to guess what was going on, he walked into the kitchen and stared at his mom and dad, who were sitting at the kitchen table, holding hands and both looking upset.
“Mom, Dad, what’s going on?” He walked further into the kitchen and took a seat at the table across from them.
His mom glanced at his dad, and his dad nodded his head. His mom sighed deeply before looking at him. “It’s Sienna, Ky. Your father and I are getting older, and it’s getting harder to keep up with her, let alone keep up with the farm.”
Irish got an uneasy feeling in his gut. “Are you thinking about selling the farm? You guys love this place. You’ve put so much heart and sweat into it.”
“Actually, honey, our main focus right now is Sienna and what’s best for her.”